Record striped bass tips scales at nearly 70 pounds

James R. Bramlett, 65, poses in Dora, with the record 69-pound, 9.8-ounce striped bass he caught in the Black Warrior River on Feb. 28.

AP Photo | AL.com

By Joe SongerAl.com

Published: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 12:39 a.m.

CENTREVILLE | When James R. Bramlett of Dora caught the fish of a lifetime Feb. 28 on the Black Warrior River near the Gorgas Steam Plant, he knew the striped bass may be a state record and possibly a new world record. Getting the fish weighed accurately was his first thought.

The closest certified scale he knew of was Sumiton Iron, a scrap yard. The scale weighed to the nearest pound and the weight of the fish was first recorded at 70 pounds even.

Fisheries biologist Heath Haley and his supervisor, Jay Haffner with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, both advised Bramlett to get the fish reweighed.

That happened Tuesday at the Centreville Post Office. Taxidermist Jacky Scott thawed the huge striper early Tuesday morning and met Haffner at the post office and asked postmaster Sherry Burt if they could weigh the fish on the certified postal scale. The scale at the Centreville Post Office measures weight to 1/10th of an ounce and is calibrated daily.

The huge striper tipped the scale for its new official weight at 69 pounds, 9.8 ounces. About a dozen people witnessed the 10-minute process.

“You are looking at the new world record striped bass. This is a slam dunk,” Haffner said. Bramlett’s catch beat the IGFA record by almost 2 pounds.

“It drew a crowd from the time Jacky Scott pulled into the parking lot until he left with it. The whole thing was exciting,” Burt said.

“When people first saw the fish, their jaws dropped” Haffner said. “Many of them had never seen a fish of that size up close.”

Haley has been working to make sure Bramlett’s possible record becomes official on both the state and world levels. Haley took the first measurements and has worked with Bramlett and IGFA record coordinator Jack Viteck to make sure accurate and transparent information about the fish is available.

The next step in the process is to send all photos and documentation about the fish, rod and reel used, and a section of the fishing line to IGFA for certification as a world record. The record being pursued is for a striped bass in the landlocked category.

Haffner and Haley both work as fisheries biologists in District 3. Haffner jokingly calls it the “district of giants.” Since March 2012, two state records have been broken.

John Nichols of Tuscaloosa broke the Alabama blue catfish record with a 120-pound, 4-ounce catch from Holt Reservoir last March 9. The previous record was 111 pounds.

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